Traveling With Trumpets

Hello, all,

Well, when things happen, they happen fast! First off, a big thanks to everyone who came out to last week’s recital at Park Cities Presbyterian Church. It was a great crowd and I was thrilled to see so many new faces. I was especially thankful that so many of you came up to say hello afterwards–surely that was one of the warmest audiences I have ever encountered, and I’m much gratified to learn that so many of you enjoyed yourselves that evening. Look for pictures on the Media page sometime next week–I’ll have to be on my own computer to post them, and that won’t happen just yet….

What? Whose computer am I using? In fact, I have returned safely home only to leave again, this time for the lecture/demonstration in Chattanooga. I’m looking forward to seeing those of you from my second home-away-from-home tomorrow night! (See the calendar for further information–I have even managed to borrow a few special instruments for the occasion!)

Beyond that, things are beginning to start picking up in preparation for my September 12 DMA recital. This is another one that falls into the category of too-many-logistics-for-its-own-good, and I’ve been in touch with my pianist, the music rental company, the conductor for the Jolivet concerto, and several others since returning from Dallas. On top of that I have a few additional events still developing, and the beginnings of a new composition waiting in my inbox….it has finished printing now, so I’m off to practice it. :)

Many thanks to everyone for your support, and stay in touch!

All the best,
-Brittany :)

Hello, all,

For a summer that looked blissfully (and sometimes agonizingly) empty when it started, this one certainly has picked up speed! We’re now one week away from the 2010 summer recital (see the calendar for details) and two weeks away from the St. Elmo Presbyterian Arts Series Lecture (again, see calendar), both of which mark a departure from my typical evening fare. Rather than an evening of contemporary music, this year’s recital is full of standards, featuring the Haydn concerto, the Tartini concerto on piccolo trumpet, and J.B. Arban’s famous “Carnival of Venice.” The lecture is a look at the trumpet in its historical context from biblical times through the present, and gives me some early practice before the lecture recital that will ultimately round out my DMA.

Speaking of the DMA, keep September 12 on your calendars as this year’s doctoral recital. Keep the first Thursday in November free, too….just in case. :)

There is one point of contention that I want to address here: some of you might be thinking, “Brittany, why don’t you publicize more events on the Traveling With Trumpets calendar?” The simple answer is that I don’t like to advertise the dates that I’ll be out of town, in case anyone around here might want to turn that information to advantage. However, I do try to send out advance publicity to the city where I’ll be performing. (I’ll grant that I have an outstanding watchdog who stays at home when I’m away, but I prefer to be safe rather than sorry.) If ever you would like detailed information about upcoming events in your area, or if you wish to be added to my e-mail list for a particular city, send me an e-mail with the subject heading “Add me to the [NAME OF CITY] list” and I will gladly keep you in the loop!

Thanks to all for reading and for listening, and stay in the shade!

All the best,
-Brittany :)

Hello, all,
I am pleased to report that my exams are FINISHED. My grading is not, but my coursework is. This has put me in a happy mood, which is fortunate because I’m also exhausted, having been up writing a paper much later than I anticipated before an 8am exam.

I am celebrating by updating the website and breaking in a new C trumpet, which I bought about three weeks ago. I’ve played three major performances on this horn already, but it’s funny what a bout of bronchitis and finals week will do to your muscle memory. I don’t feel like I’ve missed that much practice, but everything sounds like it’s underwater because my ears are clogged, and I can tell that not having wind ensemble has created a need for lots of loud and high playing in my practice sessions, because my chops miss it. I can see that it will need to be a heavy summer of playing to stay in shape for the fall.

So anyway, the new horn is a Bach 229 (25H lead pipe), which is basically the exact same C I already owned, except that this one has been made more recently and the design has been updated somewhat. I like it a LOT. It has a lot of core in the sound, a lot of resonance, and a killer low register, and most people who have heard it so far seem to approve. But this particular one is also a very stiff horn (the two others I tried were less so, which just goes to show that it really is worth playing multiple trumpets of the same model), with a fair amount of resistance. Most of the time I am very happy about this feature. The horn slots well, which means the notes are easy to find, and I get more feedback from the instrument when I’m playing. I like it especially at high volumes, which is the main thing I found lacking in my original C. But what I don’t like right now is Longionotti etude no. 3. I can only hope that none of my students is passing by outside the office, because right now the resistance is working against me! It’s actually a perfect etude to use to discover the ins and outs of a newly purchased horn, because it jumps all over the place in a weird key, but unfortunately half the jumps are to A-flat and B-flat, both of which feel entirely different on this instrument and neither of which I’ve had to use much yet. I’ve started elongating all the syncopated notes to hear where they fit, and it makes me feel like I’m playing some weird version of “The Entertainer” that would be ideally suited to an ice cream truck. :)

So thus starts my summer. Or at least, thus starts my summer in the student sense of things, because there are miles yet to go before I can submit my grades. We do have a wind ensemble recording session next week, which is another reason to get familiar with the new C–I need to determine which of the two Cs I’ll be using for those sessions.

Mark your calendars for September 12, 6:00pm, which is the official date of my second doctoral recital, in the main concert hall here on campus. Please come if you live nearby!

As always, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for what ought to be more frequent updates. Best wishes to all, and stay inside where it’s cool!

All the best,

-Brittany :)

Hello, all,

First, a big thanks to the Tucson Concert Band and everyone out in Arizona who hosted me on March 14. I played Philip Sparke’s “Manhattan”, which is a beautiful piece of music that sounds really wonderful in its original (concert band w/ soloist) format. It was also a treat to get to drive back and visit with friends in Phoenix for an afternoon, so thanks to all who made it possible.

Summer is approaching (school ends the first week of May), and there is lots going on. I’ve been teaching music appreciation (“Into to Listening”) all year, which turns out to be a very strong interest for me. I find that nearly everything I do these days (sitting in class, attending a concert, programming a recital) gets me thinking about how to introduce the world of classical music to more people. Many thanks to my students, who have served as my guinea pigs in trying to accomplish this goal. (This semester, there are 133 of them, and I am in the thick of grading!)

I have also developed a serious love for opera. If you have never seen an opera before–PLEASE, go rent “Carmen” or “Der Rosenkavalier” or “Lohengrin” and watch it all the way through. Operas are wonderful because they reflect so much of the depths of human existence. Are they realistic in their portrayal of life on earth? Surely not! Many are romanticized, idealized, politicized. Some are downright scandalous. But the beautiful thing about opera is the value that they place on life experiences. When someone dies in an opera, or falls in love, or has some other momentous experience, there is not laughter. It is not flippant. It may be welcomed, or inevitable, or quite sudden, but the music nearly always treats it with sobriety. This is a beautiful thing.

This summer I hope to spend at least some time in Chicago, Dallas, and Chattanooga (Dallas gets a recital), though mostly I will be at home in Tuscaloosa with my Slappy Tail. In particular, I’m looking for opportunities to keep lecturing about classical music (or any other music appreciation-esque topic) to groups of any age, because I’ve found that the more excuses I have to study composers and their music, the more I enjoy playing it. In my leisure time I’m also expanding my exploration of other art forms, including visual art and creative writing, so look for more information about that in the next few weeks. One of my first projects over the summer will be to add a media page to this site, so stay tuned.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see everyone soon!

-Brittany :)

Hello, all,

It’s about time I brought you up to speed. The long and short of it is like this:

On August 7, I was journaling, and I prayed a rather shot-in-the-dark prayer. The substance of it was,

“God, please get me out of Phoenix. And please get me out soon.”

The reasons for this prayer were many, but they largely centered around the fact that I had just earned a masters degree, was struggling to make ends meet as a non-student in a state that was hit hard by economic recession, and was beginning to find myself forced to choose between the kind of job that would pay for my health insurance but eliminate a significant chunk of my practice time, versus the freelance lifestyle I had planned to have, which allowed ample practice time but could not cover the cost of health insurance.

The next day I got a phone call offering me an immediate teaching assistantship (with free health insurance) in the doctoral program at the University of Alabama.

When God answers prayer that quickly, you go. I left Phoenix on 72 hours’ notice.

So now I live and teach in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I have a graduate assistantship teaching MUS 121 Introducton to Listening and performing with the Alabama Brass Quintet (the faculty brass quintet). I’m also helping to organize a pretty serious trumpet conference in February, PR materials soon to follow for that.

But at present, I am in Tucson, Arizona, needing to catch some sleep before a flight. A big thanks to everyone who came to the Sonora Winds concert to hear the Arutunian concerto tonight, and a special thanks to every member of the ensemble who made that performance possible.

Best wishes, and stay in touch,

-Brittany :)